Dimension Data Unveils Microsoft-Based Private Cloud

Dimension Data has unveiled a new private cloud service based on the Microsoft Cloud OS. Dimension Data is launching the service as a member of the Microsoft (MSFT) Cloud OS Network.

The service is available now and is a managed private cloud offering aimed at businesses interested in developing and hosting Microsoft applications in a secure, dedicated cloud environment. According to Dimension Data, the private cloud service provides organizations with enterprise-class security, compliance and control, as well as the flexibility to support hybrid 32-bit and 64-bit Windows and Red Hat Linux environments.

“By empowering our private cloud with Windows Server 2012 R2 with Hyper-V, we’re combining Microsoft solutions with our consulting, integration and management services to provide our clients a full lifecycle of solutions for their Microsoft infrastructure. Dimension Data clients will be able to move Microsoft workloads between their on-premise, Microsoft Azure and Dimension Data cloud environments,” said Steve Nola, group executive of Dimension Data’s IT-as-a-Service group, in a prepared statement.

Dubbed Dimension Data Private Compute-as-a-Service (CaaS), the new private cloud offering is available around the globe and can be deployed in client data centers or on any of Dimension Data’s 10 Managed Cloud Platform locations, which include Santa Clara, California; Ashburn, Virginia; Amsterdam; London; Sydney; Melbourne; Tokyo; Hong Kong; and Johannesburg.

“This collaboration will allow businesses to reduce the operational risk and cost associated with building a private cloud in-house and extend the life of their legacy applications,” said Pete Menadue, Dimenion Data’s general manager for Microsoft solutions, in a prepared statement.

The launch of Private CaaS follows a month after Dimension Data launched Cloud Private Network Connection, which is a direct competitor to Amazon Web Services‘ DirectConnect service.

Private CaaS supports the Microsoft Cloud Platform, which is built on Windows Server 2012 R2 with Hyper-V, System Center 2012 R2 and Windows Azure Pack. It’s designed to support Windows and Linux environments for mission-critical business and web applications, software development and testing, and virtual desktops.